Endurance Minded

The Case for Slowing Down

For many of us, 2021 has yet to be much different than the bulk of last year. This is in spite of the fact that our collective narrative has been that with the turning of the calendar will come new possibilities. While there's no doubt that last year was extremely challenging, it also brought with it some amazing opportunities for growth and clarity. 

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Building Lasting Habits

As we bring in the New Year, many of us have our sights on new resolutions in an effort to lead healthier and more productive lives. However, what we know about habits is that many of them don't stick. We're not able to create lasting habits in order to achieve our goals. Why is that? In this episode we look at the science behind habit-forming and what we can do to build lasting habits. 

Episode Highlights Include:

• What are habits?
• What does it take to build lasting habits?
• The role of willpower and self-control in forming habits.
• The importance of rewards and enjoyment in enforcing good habits. 
• How goal-setting is linked to the process of building habits. 
• What we can learn about our athletic identity and sustainability as athletes from the habit-forming process. 

For more information visit www.thomasendurancecoaching.com

To interact with the podcast and submit questions visit https://enduranceminded.com/

 

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Language is the Key

Christine Zimmerman is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. She blends her knowledge and understanding of the science of nutrition, with a deep compassion for providing individuals with the tools they need to be successful. She works to establish positive foundational beliefs with athletes and non-athletes alike in regards to their ability to reach their full potential.

Episode Highlights Include:

• TFAR - Thoughts, Feelings, Actions, Results. This model can be used as a guide for the way in which we navigate both positive and negative experiences, and the results we achieve from them. 
• Cognitive Flexibility - The ability to see multiple scenarios and points of view at one time while remaining focused amidst the "noise" of life. 
• Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANT) - This negative feedback loop can lead to stress, depression, and anxiety. By shifting the language we use from the start we can dramatically alter our stress response and ultimate outcome. 

Read Christine's article on the TEC blog for context. https://www.thomasendurancecoaching.com/change-your-thoughts-to-change-your-results/

 

Visit thomasendurancecoaching.com to speak with a coach about how you can shift the language you use to define success and set yourself up for long-term growth. 

What is Winning?

We've all grown up with a clear understanding of "winning" and "losing". There's one winner, and everyone else is the loser. However, is there a different way to look at this construct as athletes? Arguably, winning is about much more than just taking the top stop at a race. It's about making the distinction between success and failure and how we define the two as individuals.

Episode Highlights:

 -How to define winning for athletes.
- Nuanced interpretations of what it means to win.
- The role of winning in sport and training.
- Attributes of a "winning" athlete.

For more information on these topics, or to speak with a coach about defining success and failure for you, visit www.thomasendurancecoaching.com

Motivation is Fleeting

Rich Ryan is a lifelong athlete, long time coach, founder of Reinforced Running, founder of The Obstacle Racing Collaboration, and a member of the Spartan Pro Team. His deep background in endurance sports provides Rich with a unique perspective that enables him to see value in what it means to be an athlete, no matter your experience, focus, or discipline. 

Episode Highlights:

- Motivation is Fleeting - The literature on motivation tells us that it's inherently fleeting and unstable. Maybe "motivation" isn't what we should be looking for?

- Intentional training leads to confidence - A solid athletic identity and commitment to intentional training can build confidence that will serve you in other areas of your life. 

- The role of tools/data - Our watches, GPS devices, and the data they produce are valuable, but not if they detract from our experience or intentionality. 

- Training to stress - Can we become aware enough that we're able to see training as stress and not time? Our bodies understand training stress, not duration, numbers, or intervals. 

Use code TAYLOR50 for 50% off of your first month of OCR strength training HERE. 

Visit TEC for resources and tools to help you pursue your goals. 

The Value of Being Intentional

Is there value in being an athlete outside of "fitness"? What can the intentional act of movement do to inform and bring value to the rest of your life? This episode explores why being an athlete is important even if fitness isn't the end result or goal. 

Highlights include:

- The definition of an "athlete". What is an athlete and how do we define them?

- Intentional movement sets the tone for success in other aspects of your life. ie. career, relationships, diet, etc. 

- Being an athlete ensures you make time for yourself. That's becoming harder and harder to guarantee. 

- Movement provides a clear path to our goals. Committing to intentional movement ensures you're making strides towards progress. 

To receive your first month free from WHOOP go to join.whoop.com/TEC to take advantage of our newest partnership. 

Visit www.thomasendurancecoaching.com for more tools and resources, or to schedule a time to speak with one of our coaches. 

 

The Three Routes to Happiness

Jacob Puzey is an accomplished professional distance runner, Director of Peak Run Performace, a race director, and a dedicated husband and father. His approach to training, racing, and coaching is one that blends the "soft" skills of endurance sports with a science-backed understanding of an athlete's unique physiology. 

Episode Highlights:

• Training by Feel - How to blend RPE with the technology athletes have at their disposal. 
• Mental Health - Navigating the pressures of life, as well as executing a training plan, can weigh heavily on an athlete's mind. What role does endurance sports play in mental health?
• Finding Joy - The pursuit of a goal must not overshadow the joy that comes from the process. Set your sights on happiness. 

Visit www.thomasendurancecoaching.com for more resources, tools, and support on all things endurance sports. 

Minisode: Making the Most of Transitions

Transitions can be challenging for many athletes. Whether it's transitions in their training calendar, life, relationships, or anything else, so often these are the moments when we struggle to find purpose and direction. 

Here are a few tools outlined in this episode to help you make the most of the transitional periods of time.  

- View them as necessary and important. 

- Plan for them and organize them like any other time period. 

- Identify what gets you excited and motivates you about the transition.

- Don't let it last too long! 

- Make these periods consistent. They're important for longevity and sustainability. 

For more information, tools, and resources visit www.thomasendurancecoaching.com.

 

Self Acceptance Amidst Changing Goals

Carson McQuarrie is a coach on the TEC coaching team, plant-based athlete, and the fastest vegan to bike across both the US and Canada. His experience in the ultra-endurance space, as well as work as a coach, position him uniquely to discuss goal setting, expectations, and athletic identity. 

 

Some of the highlights from this episode include the following:

- How to compartmentalize goal setting and execution for big goals. 

- The role that fun and enjoyment should play in training. 

- Developing tools for navigating the valleys and enjoying the peaks. 

- The role of self-acceptance in our journey as athletes. 

 

Visit www.thomasendurancecoaching.com for more information on Coach Carson, or any of the topics we discussed. 

Minisode: The Overjustification Effect

The "Overjustification Effect" occurs when an external incentive like money, awards, prizes, acclaim from peers, etc. decreases someone's intrinsic motivation to perform. 

Sound familiar? So many athletes have struggled to find motivation amidst a calendar with no races on it. Does that mean that we've allowed these extrinsic motivators to carry too much weight?

Learn what the Overjustification Effect says about how we can change our behaviors to find a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. The great thing about behaviors is that we can control them! 

Visit www.thomasendurancecoaching.com for more details.